My face continued to burn as Bon loomed over me, one hand on the bathroom doorknob, the other on the wall as he steadied himself. I held my breath, knowing I'd probably give ourselves away if I took so much as one little gasp. Bon held a finger to his lips and pressed his ear against the door. As people got on and off the bus, the little bathroom we locked ourselves in shook and rattled. Bon had waited until no one was looking before grabbing my hand and pulling me in, shutting the door. At first I looked at him like he was crazy and demanded to know what the big idea was before he shushed me. Realizing he wasn't doing what I thought he was doing, I kept quiet and waited for him to explain. 

The backs of my legs pressed flush against the toilet and I tried not to cry from the smell. After a hot day and a long drive to and from the venue, the bathroom had seen some things. I couldn't help but notice something sticking out from a low shelf. A tiny box of some kind. It almost looked like a packet of cigarettes. 

Some chatter got really close to the bathroom and Bon had to put a hand to his mouth to stifle any giggling. His other hand held fast to the knob in case anyone tried to open it for one last go in the loo. What would happen if someone got in and found us here? What would they think? Maybe they'd give Bon a thumbs up and close the door. Maybe they'd give me a dirty look. Or maybe they'd question what the fuck we were doing. And I wouldn't have an answer. 

Water splashed in the bowl and I prayed none of it would get on me. After more shaking and me almost falling straight into the toilet, the person outside the door left and the bus was quiet. Instead of opening the door right away, Bon held still, waiting. After a solid minute of nothing, he slowly opened the door and peered out, a tiny wave of fresh air pouring in. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"I think they're gone," he said, opening the door a little wider. Stepping one foot out and looking up and down the bus, Bon zipped out of the bathroom and hurried to the windows, pulling a curtain shut then peeking outside. I hustled out of that bathroom and closed the door, only for the door to open again and hit me on my ass. I slammed it closed and huffed. 

"What are we still doing here?" I asked. What on earth had Bon planned for us to do on the tour bus?

Bon sat back in the seat, propping his legs up and resting his hands behind his head. "Anythin' we want," he smiled. 

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "Someone's going to come back for something. Or the driver's locked the doors from the outside and we can't get out." I thought back to what I knew about buses. "Can't the doors only open if the bus is on?"

"Ya' think I couldn't kick the doors open if I wanted to?" Bon asked, demonstrating a kick from his reclined position. "There's probably a key in the glove box anyway."

I wanted to see for myself. I marched to the front of the bus and opened up a brown, rectangle shaped cabinet with a sparkling silver handle. Underneath stacks of papers, maps, and a broken pen, there was a single key. I put it in my pocket just in case and shut the compartment before going back to Bon who had closed every single curtain on the bus so no one could see in. "Why are staying here again?" I asked. "Refresh my memory, please."

"'Cause you're losin' your spirit," he said, inspecting a stain on one of the curtains. I didn't want to say anything but it looked like a blood stain. "You've been out of it since breakfast this mornin' an' I thought this might cheer you up."

"You thought me being kidnapped would cheer me up?" I asked, my voice rising. I almost started laughing. Bon looked a bit sheepish but held back a laugh as well. "Where are we going to sleep?"

"The beds, of course," he said, nodding at the coffin-like beds in the back. "You ever sleep in one of those before?"

I thought back to when I had taken a tour of one of the buses a couple weeks ago and fell asleep in one of the beds. "I have, actually," I said.

"Hm. Perfect," Bon smiled. "An' I was thinkin' we could find a milk bar an' get a few-" Bon stopped suddenly and sat up in his seat, pulling the curtain back.

"What is it?" My heart began to race again. I hated getting in trouble by authority figures. In a flash Bon was up and out of the seat. 

"Shit," he muttered, taking my hand. "Someone's comin'."

"But they can't get in, can they?" I asked as Bon led me back to the bathroom. I stepped inside with a whimper; the smell hadn't improved. Bon slid in after me and closed the door again, listening close. He didn't bother turning the light on this time and we were left in the dark. Who would be coming to the bus anyway? Unless someone planned to rob it, or sleep in it for the night. 

"We'll see, won't we?" Bon whispered. Both of us kept very still, ignoring the low humming noise of cars driving around outside. I hadn't gotten a good look of where we were parked but I assumed the hotel parking lot. These buses should have been kept in a depot; someone would recognize them as the AC/DC tour buses and break in, ransacking them. Collecting whatever memorabilia they could find to show off to their friends or pawn for money. Imagine finding a lock of Bon's hair or something. People in 2024 might pay good money for that. 

I shuddered at the thought.

After a quick series of knocks and groaning metal, a set of footsteps mounted the stairs and wandered on the bus. I looked at Bon and could hardly see his eyes in the dark. Even he looked a bit concerned. The footsteps got closer and closer. Who could be out there? What did they want? And how did they manage to get in? Maybe they knocked on the door just in case someone could let them in from the inside. After getting no response from us, they must have wrenched the door open.

I could imagine it was someone from the team who knew Bon was missing or perhaps it was a cop who saw us in the window. Would this count as loitering if it was our own bus? Or someone from the team could have seen activity in the window and thought we were troublemakers and called the police. Anything was possible and my heart was leaping out of my chest in anticipation. 

Whoever got onto the bus cleared their throat. It sounded like a man. It sounded....familiar somehow.... They tried to turn the bathroom knob and Bon held it steady. Once again putting a finger to his lips, he let go of the doorknob and our guest on the other side tried turning it again with a huff. As soon as the door opened wide enough, Bon jumped out to take on the intruder. 

"Jesus Christ!" Bon lunged at the man, grabbing him under his arms and lifting him into the air. I stumbled out of the bathroom, squinting from the dim light to see Angus McKinnon dangling in Bon's grasp. "What the fuck are you doin'?" he yelled.

Bon set him down on the floor of the bus and Angus straightened himself out. His eyes darted back and forth between me and Bon like we were psychotic. "Thought you were a scavenger," Bon said. "Sorry, Ang."

"We didn't know it was you," I said, bowing my head slightly. I felt awful that we had almost given Angus a heart attack and tried to attack him. His eyes softened toward me but quickly grew cold when he looked at Bon.

"What brings you back, like?" Bon asked casually, like he hadn't just charged at Angus with a sharp war cry. 

Angus, out of breath, pointed at the bathroom behind us. "Left my cigarettes in there," he said. I remembered the pack of cigarettes I found earlier on the shelf when Bon and I were hiding. "Came back to get 'em an' I'm punished for it."

"Who takes their cigarettes out to use the dunny?" Bon asked. "Lightin' one up to lessen the smell?"

Angus didn't find this very funny. "I didn't know you liked havin' all your shit fall in the toilet when you go, Bon," he said. My guilt gave way to humor. I snickered and Bon looked at us with his charming smile.

"That's where it goes, isn't it?" he said. 

"That's not-ya' know somethin', fuck you," Angus said with a laugh as he and Bon started roughhousing. I stood back as Bon grabbed Angus in a headlock and Angus tried ramming Bon into the seats. Laughing at their way of bonding, I felt lighter than I had in days. Taking my mind off the bad by having some fun with friends was just what I needed. Standing on one of the seats so I could get a better view, I watched as Angus freed himself from Bon's vice grip and jumped on Bon's back. Bon ran to the other end of the bus, giving Angus a piggy back ride. 

I loved these boys.

Setting Angus down and letting him get his cigarettes from the bathroom, Bon took to the wheel and pretended to drive the bus, complete with sound effects and everything. Angus came back and I met up with them at the front of the bus. "So, you gonna tell everyone where we are?" Bon asked.

"Depends on what you're plannin' on doin'," Angus said, eyeing Bon's pretend maniacal driving. 

"We're holdin' ya' hostage, Ang, so take a seat, any seat," Bon said. 

"Did you two plan to stay out here all night?" Angus asked, ignoring Bon's statement. "No food, water?"

"As I was tellin' Hannah before ya' came bargin' in on one of your withdrawal rages," Bon said. "I was thinkin' we might drop by the milk bar an' pick up a few things." Bon rested his arm on the back of the driver's seat and shrugged. "If you're interested."

Angus looked down the steps, the doors cracked open. A cool breeze blew into the bus and I shivered. Somebody better make a decision quick and close the doors. I wondered how Angus managed to pry it open. "I don't know, I'd sorta like a quick cup an' a hot shower," he said. "A decent bed."

"We got beds, we got a shower," Bon said. "We can find ya' some tea, both of ya'. An' a drink for me, yeah?" Bon's eyes sparkled and his teeth shone. I didn't mind having Angus along with us. It would give Bon someone to talk to as I clammed up like always. "Or you can go back to the hotel with your smokes an' have a boring night as usual. Your choice."

"Stayin' in is not boring," Angus said. "Hannah agrees, right, Hannah?"

"Right!" I said. Staying in was one of the funnest things a person could do! I would die on that hill. 

Bon looked back and forth between us. "So, ya' wanna jus' call the whole thing off?" Now wait just a minute. I was having more fun than I was admitting and staying all night in the tour bus without getting caught could be an adventure. But I didn't want to do it alone so it was really Angus' decision to stay or leave. My mind was made up.

"What does Hannah want?" Angus asked, looking at me. 

"I'll stay," I said and Bon brightened a little.

"Then I guess I'll stay," Angus said, taking a seat. "Fuckin' hell, Bon, you're crazy."

"Tell me somethin' new, Ang," Bon said, winking at me. "Now let's close this door an'...." Bon surveyed all the buttons and switches, sure one of them was the one to close the door. I still wasn't sure if the bus needed to be on to close the door but Bon answered my question by pulling a lever and the doors slid shut. "There we-hey." He tried the lever again but the doors jammed. "What did ya' do to this, Ang?"

"There's a button on the outside," Angus said. "Someone showed me a while ago. I saw the lights on an' knocked but no one answered so I hit the button."

"It's like it's broken," Bon said, pulling on the lever with all his might. "Ya' sure ya' didn't rip them open with your hulk strength?"

"Pretty sure," he said, not getting up to help. I stood there wondering if I should be offering any assistance. But what could I do? Pull out my tool belt and have a little look-see? 

"Alright then," Bon said, standing up from the seat and inspecting the doors. He pulled at them and they clanked together instead of smoothly fitting like puzzle pieces. "This ol' thing, a million years on it..."

"We could find some tape," Angus suggested. 

"Someone can stand guard all night," I said. 

"I vote Bon for first watch," Angus said, raising his hand. Bon pretended to laugh and threw his head back before returning to his inspection. 

"Could one of you be a doll an' pull the thing again?" Bon asked. I was closer so I volunteered myself. I grabbed the lever Bon had been toying with and pulled it with all my might. It came down a lot easier than I expected and I hit my elbow on the steering wheel, my funny bone taking the impact. 

"Ow, fuck!" I said and the men turned to me. 

"Everything alright over there?" Bon asked. 

"I'm fine," I dismissed, rubbing my elbow. After smacking my head, my ass, and now this, I started to think this bus hated me. "Did it work?"

Bon straightened up and stood back, revealing the doors to be perfectly sealed shut. "Not bad, says I," he said. "Now pardon me, darlin', unless you wanna do the drivin'."

I stood from the driver's seat and sat across the aisle from Angus. "You sure ya' know what you're doin'?" Angus asked. Bon took his seat and stretched his arms, fingers laced together, then cracked his knuckles. 

"You know I'm a great driver, Angus," Bon said. I knew perfectly well Bon could drive a motorcycle just fine but this was a whole fucking tour bus! You needed a special license to drive one of these! If we got pulled over, what would we do? Take off down the highway and make a run for it? I couldn't help the giggle from escaping as I pictured us speeding through traffic in a high speed chase, sirens blaring behind our enormous bus. We'd make the news for sure. And jail time. Bon took my giggling as a shot at his capability. "I'll show you two what's what. Buckle up."

There were no seatbelts on the bus and we stayed put. Bon looked around the controls and opened a hatch above him, revealing an overhead compartment. Something round and black fell out on the floor. Bon gasped in delight and picked it up, dusting it off. It was a driver's hat. He stuck it on and turned around to face us, gleaming. It sat crooked on his fluffy hair. 

"How do I look?"

Angus and I exchanged a glance. "Ya' look a picture, Bon," Angus said.

"Very handsome," I said. 

Knowing good and well we were full of shit, Bon laughed and left the hat where it was. "Perfect," he said. "Oi, Hannah, ya' still got that key?" I handed it to him from my pocket and he looked it over in his hand. "Let's see if this will work...." Sticking the key in the ignition, he twisted it and the engine roared to life. Bon howled in adrenaline. "Sit back an' enjoy the ride, mates," he said, toeing the gas pedal. Fidgeting with the controls, he got the bus rolling across the parking lot, narrowly missing some parked cars nearby. I pulled the curtain back to watch, wincing and gripping the back of the seat in front of me, taking deep breaths. If Angus was as scared to death as I was, he didn't show it. We bounced a bit in our seats as the wheels scraped against a curb. The curtains swayed back and forth, the empty luggage racks rattling. "An' we're off!"

Bon maneuvered the bus out the hotel parking lot without a hitch and turned onto the main road. Before losing sight of the hotel, wanting to make sure everyone on the AC/DC team heard him, Bon honked the horn, the blast of it drowning out his own hysterical laughter.